Sunny Beach was the first resort in Bulgaria to see extensive new construction and as a result the number of expatriates now living in Bulgaria’s Sunny Beach resort full time or for the long hot summer season has expanded dramatically.  This article is about living in Sunny Beach for anyone contemplating starting a new life in Bulgaria.

First things first, Sunny Beach is ideally located in between the larger towns of Varna and Bourgas both of which have airports and both of which are easily accessible by bus, car or taxi.  This makes Sunny Beach one of the most accessible resorts in Bulgaria which means that those expatriates living in Sunny Beach can easily get back home to visit friends and family – or more likely, friends and family can easily visit them and soak up the sun and nightlife!

Bourgas’s airport has international connections and the town also has a railway station and harbour and Varna’s airport now welcomes direct flights from the UK from flight operators such as British Airways and Bulgaria Air - Bourgas is 35km away from Sunny Beach and Varna is 95km away.

Rental accommodation is easy to find in Sunny Beach and there are still an abundance of properties available for sale.  The majority of buildings in the main areas of Sunny Beach are apartment based…but villas can be found a few kilometres away from the centre and town houses can be found right in the resort itself.  Prices vary dramatically based on the location of property, the state of the property and also sometimes the vendor’s whim!  Those interested in buying property in Bulgaria should always tread carefully and view a lot of properties before committing to purchase – that way one gets a feel for which properties represent good value, which are over priced and which are under priced and therefore possibly badly built!

Those hoping to work in Bulgaria and who move to Sunny Beach will find quite a range of summer season work available in bars, clubs, restaurants, estate agencies and tourist servicing businesses…but in the winter it’s harder to find work in Sunny Beach and expatriates who are looking for seasonal work would be better off moving to the ski resorts and looking for tourist related openings there.  Otherwise, learn to speak Bulgarian and the range of jobs available will broaden but remember that Bulgaria has quite high unemployment and an employer may be likely to favour a local over an expatriate when recruiting.

And finally, for those interested in the social side of things the resort has an abundance of pubs, clubs, cafes and restaurants and in the summer season the Sunny Beach nightlife is fantastic.  Sunny Beach is a popular resort with groups of young people which means that the music is at times loud and the pace of life quite fast!  From October to May however the pace of life definitely slows down and a number of businesses close down again until the summer season…and those in search of a good night out should head to Bansko for the après ski!